This Crazy Little Thing
by nocturnal-elmo
Summary: A bunch of pairing oneshots baised off Naruto. After a slight delay, Number three is up! Every Time We Touch InoSasuke onesided.
1. Slips

"I'm tellin' ya Hinata! It's prolly better things worked out the way they did."

"If you say so…"

"Aw c'mon! That spaz wouldda driven ya nuts anyways. Trust me it's better this way."

"Alright.."

Kiba arched an eyebrow at the heir to the Hyuuga clan from atop Akamaru's back. Honestly he thought that the other ninja was taking the semi-rejection. After all, it i was /i just Naruto. The Inuzuka would have rolled his eyes but he knew exactly what would happen if that display of distaste was seen by Hinata. It would make her feel worse. Which was never Kiba's intention. Far from it, actually. He normally tried to find ways of keeping the girl looking on the bright side. After all, that's how he did it. No matter how bad things got, it could be worse. But saying, 'Hey Hinata, at least Naruto didn't punch you in the face' might come off as a tad insensitive. So naturally, he grinned and bared comforting her. It was after all, what he was good at.

Kiba looked as if he were about to speak ill of Hinata's long time crush but restrained himself at a slight growl from Akamaru. He sighed as he tried to think of something else to say. "Y'know… there's always more fish in the sea, puppies in the litter, clouds in the sky… y'know… all that other cliché sorta stuff."

Hinata looked at Kiba almost as if he'd said something somewhat embarrassing. "I-I don't think it's like that…" Her white eyes looked away from the other ninja. "I don't know… I just…"

With a swift movement, Kiba scooped up his former teammate with a smirk and sat her in front of him on the large dog. "Look… I know this seems like the end all be all since Naruto is just his magnificent self," That was obviously sarcasm, but sometimes Hinata would be fortunate enough not to catch it, "But you know what? You've managed to go-what- fifteen years without him? Who needs 'im? Right?"

"Well…"

"Aw, c'mon Hinata! You don't need him to be happy," Kiba said with a sigh. He was still trying to find something better to say. After all, he could i tell /i this wasn't helping. He put an arm around the other ninja in order to keep her steady on Akamaru's back. "Maybe he'll come around…"

"Do you really think so?"

Kiba winced at the hint of hope in the girl's voice. God dammit! She was supposed to be like "well I don't care if he comes around" or "well maybe I don't need to wait for that"… but nooo. Hinata just had to seriously be an optimist. "Sure. I mean… give 'im time, he might come crawlin' back or something. I dunno. Heck, by then, you might even realize you don't need his ass. You might just have to teach him a thing or two and turn 'im down."

Hinata looked over her shoulder at the other ninja. "Um… has that ever happened to you?" she asked shyly. It was a good question considering she'd never seen the Inuzuka with any other girl aside from her. Usually he would be one of the only ones to comfort her after her failed attempts at telling the blonde Fox Container how she felt. "I mean… h-have you had someone come back to you like that?"

Kiba tapped his chin for a second thoughtfully. "Nah. Don't think I've ever actually talked to the person I liked about it before," he stated honestly. He flashed a slight smile. "At least you try. More than I've ever done. So you're way bolder than me for it."

Hinata looked surprised at the ninja's confession. "You really never told her, Kiba? Why not?"

"She likes someone else."

"H-how do you know?"

Kiba looked away for a moment, his grasp on her loosening. "Because she tells me about it every day."

"What? Why would someone do that?"

Kiba smirked and tilted his head to the side in thought. "Well, she can't help it. She likes a guy that doesn't even notice her." His voice seemed somewhat unfazed by the conversation. If she made the connection, he'd just refute it anyways. "Kinda sad she doesn't see what she is 'cause of it. So y'know… I don't think she means to do it… she just does."

"That's horrible," Hinata stated, being shockingly blunt for a change. She looked over at Kiba with a sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry she does that to you."

"What've ya got to be sorry about? I mean, c'mon! S'not like I've told 'er or anything," he said with a shrug and he rested his chin on Hinata's shoulder gently. "Like I said… I'm bein' a fuckin' pussy for not sayin' anything anyways. S'not 'er fault if I'm not sayin' anything right?"

"Well… I guess. I mean, why haven't you said anything to her?" she asked as she looked over at the brown-haired ninja. She seemed somewhat shocked that that other ninja was actually afraid of telling someone what they thought. Especially considering Kiba had no real filter between his head and his mouth at times.

"I dunno… just don't wanna hafta tell 'er an have 'er say somethin' about the other guy." Kiba noticed that they were nearing the Hyuuga quarter of the village. Akamaru started to slow down a bit in his trot, as if he were hinting for his master to say something.

"Why do you think she'll do that?"

"Well… everytime I think I'm gonna tell 'er… she does. Last thing I want is to actually say it and then havin' to here 'bout Naruto again."

Oh Crap.

There it was. Kiba's own jaw dropped open at the slip. If fate loved him at all, Hinata wouldn't catch it. Unfortunately, Kiba wasn't so lucky. At first Hinata let herself stay quiet, clinging to the silence in hopes that there was some sort of way that Kiba had made some sort of mistake. But when she noticed that Kiba's cheeks turned a bit red, her own followed suit.

"Kiba… do you um… do you-"

"We're here!" Kiba proclaimed with a grin as he released his hold on Hinata and hopped off Akamaru. He extended a hand to help her off. "Don't want your father throwin' a fit do ya?" he asked with a slight smile, his cheeks still possessed a bit of red to them. Hinata took the hand carefully, allowing her former teammate to help her down.

"Well, wait a second. Do you-"

"Gotta get goin' Hinata. We don't want your father to get mad."

"But…"

"Go on," Kiba said pointedly, nodding towards the residence of the girl's clan. To illustrate the command, Akamaru nudged Hinata in the back to move her in the right direction. "I'll see ya tomorrow Hinata," he said before hopping onto Akamaru's back. The dog responded by dashing away.

"But…" Hinata sighed, looking once more in the direction that Kiba had gone off to. She still seemed a tad confused from their previous conversation. Quietly, per usual, Hinata turned around and started to slowly head for her home.

After a little bit, Kiba slowed Akamaru down. He brought a palm to his forehead. "I really messed things up, didn't I boy?"

Akamaru provided no real conversation and gave a slight huff from his nose. The dog detected Kiba's frustration and let out a slight whimper in order to sympathize with his master. The dog continued the long way around the village, not wanting to take Kiba there yet in order to let the Inuzuka think. After a good hour or so, Kiba sniffed the air for a moment, detecting the brief scent of the girl he'd just been talking to, but chalked it up to the fact that she was riding with him for a decent amount of time. The two continued on their way, stopping by a creek that was out of the way. Kiba dismounted and sat along the creek bed, tossing rocks into the smoother ones that the rocks moved over. "Damn it," he said softly to himself after a while. "Why am I so stupid?"

Hinata had been following them for quite some time now, taking a post behind some bushes. Her white eyes fixated on Kiba for the most part. Upon hearing Kiba's rhetorical question, she blushed. "I don't think you're stupid…"

Kiba's ears perked up as he thought he heard something he sprang up from where he sat and looked around. He finally looked over at the brush where Hinata was hiding. He slowly approached, extending an arm to clear some of the branches. He sighed as he saw no one there. He walked over to where Akamaru lay and pat his ears. "Now I'm hearing things too, boy? What's wrong with me?"

Hinata looked over from the area she'd switched to and started back towards home, leaving Kiba and Akamaru truly alone this time. Akamaru gave a slight whimper and got up. He walked over to Kiba and nudged his hand. "I know boy, let's go home," he said with a defeated sigh, looking one last time in the direction that he thought he'd heard the familiar voice from. He hopped onto the dog's back and they started their long journey home.


	2. Reverse Psychology

**Author's Note: Thank you to all that have read this and have reviewed. It's good to know that I'm doin' something right. Anyways, on to the next short fic. The last one was a Kiba/Hinata pairing. This time it will be a Naruto/Sakura pairing. I want to tell you now that I probably will re-use these characters later. Especially considering about like 75 of the male characters end up paired with Sakura. I'm not going to just go by my favorite pairings here… I'm gonna try as many as I can… just thought I'd let you all know. **

_I am in no way claiming to own Naruto or any of the other characters from the show… if I did… I'd be a rich motha-fcka. So don't sue me. You will get no money._

Reverse Psychology

Sakura sat on the counter of one of the empty vending carts. Her green eyes reflected a bit more seasoning than the last time she'd found herself sitting there. When she was twelve, those green eyes were brighter, more naïve, and most definitely happier. Two years later, they seemed wiser, experienced, and almost bitter. After all, she'd lost the "love of her life" to Orochimaru. Well not really, just the infatuation. That whole "love of her life" thing was somewhat more of the exaggeration she would have expressed had she still been that wide-eyed and bushy-tailed genin. She wasn't anymore though. She had matured. She had grown up… a little.

She waited for her former teammate to get there. Honestly, he was just as bad as Kakashi, if not worse! How could someone like him expect to be the next Hokage if he couldn't even make it to lunch on time? She breathed in a heavy sigh. True, the two never made plans. The blonde would just follow her to wherever she decided to eat lunch. He would say something perverted. She wouldd hit him. He would fall down. She would smirk and point out that he should be careful. The blonde would take heed for about five minutes before saying something flirtatious again. And then the pink haired kunoichi would remind him. That was how it went every day and there was no change in the routine.

Sakura looked around, checking the time. He was still not there. Naruto Uzumaki was still not present for the ritual of harassing her. She breathed out an agitated sigh before her green eyes lit up, possibly for the first time in years, like they had when she was twelve. No Naruto. He would not bother her! She was free! Her lips curled into a smile as she hopped off the stand and walked off to go have lunch on her own. She was almost excited for the peace and quiet. No. She was ecstatic about it! She sat herself under a tree alone. The quiet was inviting. Her lips stayed fixed in a smile as she took out her food and began to feast in that lovely, blissful silence.

Unfortunately, when confronted with uninterrupted quiet, the mind tends to work overtime, which starts to create anxiety. That alone, never bode well for the Hokage's apprentice. Not in the least bit. What if the blonde had been kidnapped? What if he'd been murdered? What if he was hurt? Or even worse, what if he was bothering Ino instead?!? That thought alone made her blood boil a bit. Her inner self would have had its vein popping out and its fist clenched.

How _dare_ the blonde go bother someone else? What exactly would justify that? Sure, she had the tendency to be a tad abusive. But he deserved it! He was the one who would make comments about her body or hit on her relentlessly. She didn't do anything wrong for that. She was merely reacting to a rude comment. One that was usually meant with the best nature, sure. But it was still a bit… crude (much like the absent blonde).

She was better off. Let Ino handle the self-proclaimed "Next Hokage" and his antics. It was not like they were anything over the top like they were when they were twelve anyways. It was just stupid little things. Stupid little sweet things.

Where did that come from?

The chunin got frustrated with this ridiculous way of thinking. No. It was not thinking. It was madness! Absolute and utter madness! That was the only way to describe it. That was the only way to rationalize whatever it was that was crossing her mind. And even that could hardly be considered rational. It was irrational. It was lacking logic.

It was driving her nuts.

She packed up her food again, determined to get an answer from the blonde as to why he was not there. Who was she supposed to hit? Who was she supposed to get ridiculous, but sweet in their own twisted way, gestures from? She couldn't very well go to Oto and drag Sasuke back. She did not want him back at this point. He chose to leave. He chose to ignore her. He chose to reject her every attempt at getting close him. Forget that. That book was closed. Why bother with someone who never recognizes how someone feels about them?

She took in a sharp breath of realization. Oh no. She had driven the blonde away. She had done exactly what Sasuke had done to her. Disregarded her. Thrown her aside. She was doing that to Naruto. She remembered that small feeling she got when she finally let go of competing for the last Uchiha and remembered that the blonde must have felt that from so many other people when younger. And that was when he only wanted negative attention. Naruto had been striving for positive attention from the kunoichi for years. It was official, Sakura had managed to destroy every relationship she had. Her friendship with Ino, gone. Her infatuation with Sasuke, gone. Now Naruto would be gone as well.

Her pace started to pick up as she started to realize how alone she was during this little Naruto break. It was terrifying. She may have respected the fact that some of her other friends were alone because of the fact that Fate was cruel, but Sakura could possibly help this. She could change this. She had to. Along the way she ended up dropping her food. She small weight that was relieved allow her to gain a bit more speed. Her green eyes were wide open, much like how they'd been when she'd go looking for Sasuke. This time though, she was looking for that particular blonde that had the tendency to plague her existence.

She skid to a halt as she spotted the Kyuubi container inside the ramen bar. She checked her reflection, straightened her clothes, ran a hand through her hair, and wiped away that tiny bit of "glow" from her forehead. She walked through the door, her green eyes scanning the rest of the establishment. _Act natural. Remember, it's just Naruto. Stupid Naruto…_She shook off that last thought considering that was the attitude that probably drove the blonde away. When she finally approached the blonde, a smile curved her lips.

"Hey," her greeting seemed like her usual bubbly self. So far, so good.

Naruto looked over at the kunoichi with a look of surprise. He pointed to his chest as if to say "who me?" He then looked around before realizing that Sakura did, in fact, mean him. "Hey," he said with a slight smile.

"Where were you today?" Sakura asked casually, sitting down next to him.

"Um… what?"

"Where were you? You weren't at lunch."

Naruto looked fairly shocked, surprised that his former teammate even _noticed_ his absence, yet alone asked about what he'd done instead. "Didn't think you'd want me around is all," he commented with a shrug as he twirled the chopsticks in his ramen. "I mean… you asked me yesterday to leave you alone."

"Well I didn't think you _would_. You never listen to me when I say that," Sakura pointed out. She ran a hand through her pink hair. Was she nervous? No. She couldn't be. It was Naruto. The annoying blonde that had ditched her today to drive her insane. "Why?"

"'cause you wanted me to," Naruto said with a shrug, his shoulders relaxing after a moment. "And 'cause my head hurts from the last time you hit me."

"Sorry about that…"

"Okay! What is goin' on?!" Naruto demanded. He set down his chopsticks and folded his arms. He turned on his stool in order to look at Sakura with a scrutinizing stare. "You never apologize for hittin' me. So what's the deal?"

Sakura gulped for a moment. She'd never felt so tiny. Even when Sasuke left… she'd never felt so… insignificant. Was this what she did to the blonde every day? Was this the effect her annoyed outbursts had. "Well… I… I…um… I wanted to know…"

"Out with it! I have to stop by the missions desk in a half hour. We can't all be given our missions in person. So what do ya want?" Naruto looked fairly annoyed at this point. Maybe it was the realization he had that Tsunade's apprentice was never going to fall for him. His own mind was working overdrive in his loneliness. He honestly did not want to have to deal with her yelling at him now. Especially since she was acting so weird.

"I don't want you to leave me," she blurted out. Her green eyes looking pleadingly at the blonde. "I mean… you weren't there. I kinda worried. I didn't like it."

The blue eyes of the Fox Container softened. "I didn't like it either," he admitted, scratching the back of his head in the process. "Wait… you told me to go away yesterday… and I do it… and now you want me around. Are you okay?"

"God dammit Naruto I'm fine!" she snapped at the blonde, raiding a hand to strike him before pulling it back. "Just don't let me say it again."

"Say what again?"

"Naruto!"

"No seriously… what am I supposed to not make you say again? How can I not know what I'm supposed to not make you say if I don't know what I made you say?"

"Naruto!"

"What?!?! It makes perfect sense dammit! What did I make you say?" Naruto demanded, trying desperately to figure out what he had said in order to make Sakura so mad. "How can I fix it if I don't know wha- 

A set of lips were now pressed against the blonde's. His blue eyes widened for a moment. What was going on? It took him a moment before he started to kiss her back. His eyes closed.

_Ohmygod! OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod!_ Sakura kept the kiss for a few moments more before pulling back. Her cheeks had a red glow tinge to them. Her eyes seemed wide for a moment before returning to their normal size. She touched her fingers to her lips for a moment.

"What… what was that for?" Naruto asked, blinking at the other ninja. His own finger on his lips.

"You talk too much," Sakura managed to say. Her blush died down as she place some money along the bar and winked at the blonde. "C'mon. We've got to get going." She snatched Naruto's arm and started to pull him away.

"Where're we-

His were cut off again the moment that they reached the market place, right by the vendor's stand that Sakura had been loitering around earlier. This time, Naruto managed to put his arms around her as he kissed back. His eyes closed at about the same time as the kunoichi's. He brought her closer to her during the kiss trying to figure out what had gotten into her.

The kiss broke again, leaving them both gasping for air. Both had particularly red cheeks. Neither of them released their hold on each other. "Hrm… didn't know how well this would work…" Naruto said idly with a smile.

"How what would work?"

"Reverse psychology."

"Naruto…" Sakura glared up at Naruto.

"Seriously! I never leave you alone and you hate me. I leave you alone and we do this! It totally works."

"Naruto…"

"Think about it though. I've tried for _years_… nothing! I stop… BAM!"

"Naruto!"

"What?"

"Shut up," the pink haired ninja pulled Naruto in for another kiss. This time Naruto expected it. His hand slid from her lower back to her backside, only to be rewarded with a quick smack. The blonde shook the sting on his hand off and returned it to its place on her back. It was worth a shot, after all, reverse psychology was proving to be a wonderful thing.

**End!**

**Next up is a pairing that I don't even know what it is yet. Anyways… laters. Reviews and suggestions are greatly welcomed….**

**PAIX!**


	3. Every Time We Touch

Alrighty folks! Thank you again for choosing to read this fic. First off, I have some things to address to my reviewers. Thank you all for giving my your feedback. It's very nice to hear what people think (good or bad) about my writing. To answer to a few of the comments about how I've chosen to do one shots all in this one fic as opposed to making a new fic for each story… well, to put it simply, they're themed. When I thought of this idea, it was spawned from Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", hence the title "This Crazy Little Thing". They are pairing one-shots. While each has their own little bits of inspiration, they are tied together. Thanks again for reading, keep it up and please continue reviewing.

And now about this one-shot: This is an Ino/Sasuke pairing. Or at least a one-sided one. It's on Ino's side more than anything and you'll see how. It is inspired by the slow version of "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada.

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Naruto series or any of the characters included. If I did… I would not be spending my time writing fanfics… I'd be pimping my ride and rollin' wit' de hoes fool. Better recognize. Fo' sheezy!

_Every Time We Touch_

He was perfect. Each breath he took, every blink those brooding eyes blinked… Perfect. He could do no wrong. He could say no lie. He was the beginning and the end. It was almost unreal every time she looked at him. Most times she thought she was dreaming when there was the briefest contact between them. He was the sun and the moon. He was perfection. At that moment, Sasuke Uchiha was laying next to her.

Ino brought a finger to graze the arm of the sleeping figure next to him. Her breath was caught up in her throat like it did every time she saw him. It had been years since she had recognized her attraction to the last Uchiha and he still had the same effect. It was surprising the blonde had managed to sustain a pulse when Sasuke propositioned her to be the surrogate mother for the rebuilding of his clan. It wasn't the same as him admitting his undying love for her, but it was close enough. He would grow to love her, she was certain of it.

It had been a year since they had made their arrangement. No baby, no pregnancy. Every time the attempt failed, Ino thought the ninja would give up on her and leave. For some reason, he stayed though. He maintained that it had nothing to do with the fact that he could possibly be developing an attachment to the kunoichi. Instead he simply threatened that maybe he should just leave again. Maybe he could find someone in the sound village to help him. Somehow the Uchiha figured this would make Ino more fertile. Yet with every menstrual cycle, he found himself disappointed. He wanted an heir. He wanted it as soon as it was possible. Yet for some reason, the blonde seemed unable to produce one for him. Every time she went through her period, she felt like balling. She let him down. It was plain and simple. Sasuke's anger was one thing… his disappointment was another.

Ino took in a slight breath as she lay there on his bed. She had a good feeling about this time. She was certain of it. That good feeling could also have been the after glow that she always felt afterwards too. But this time, she knew. There was no other way to describe it. This time she felt it was different. Maybe this time was because Sasuke was actually starting to feel something back. Just maybe…

Their fornicating was like a routine. There were usually no words exchanged. There was no foreplay. Their lips never connected and there was no real affections exchanged. Ino gave them willingly. In order for there to be an exchange, though, Ino figured it would have to be reciprocated, maybe even returned. Ino would feather him with kisses and Sasuke would only pull away from them. Restoring a clan was not something one should waste frivolous things like affection on. This time was different though. The Uchiha managed a smile as he walked in. Something so small as a curve of his lips made what seemed like a world of difference to Ino. That small difference was enough to make the eggs dropping from her ovaries more efficient. It just had to! She could not fail to give him a child after he finally rewarded her with an actual expression. She could not come out of this fruitless after he had proven that he possibly was not as cold as he made himself out to be.

A worried tear slid down her cheeks and left a wet spot on the pillow. Her hand made full contact with the sleeping ninja next to her. He had not thrown her out yet. That was a good sign. She sucked up the rest of her tears as she closed the space that was between her and the Uchiha's sleeping form. Her arms wrapped around him. Her legs tangled with his as she feathered kisses along his shoulder. Her fear became too much as she finally burst out crying. She buried her face into the shoulder she had been caressing. Her tears dampened his skin.

Sasuke's body finally stirred. He turned over so he was facing the kunoichi. His eyes barely slid open. He watched her cry for a moment, not lifting a finger to comfort her. "You're still here?" he asked finally as he looked at her with those same cold eyes that he always looked at Ino with.

"I'm sorry," Ino said quietly as she slid out of bed. She moved over to where her clothes had neatly been set and dressed herself. Her tears continued sliding down her face. This time embarrassment was being added with the fear, salt, and water that welled up in her eyes. After she was dressed, she made her way to the door and took one last look at the ninja she thought she was growing on. He had a disinterested expression as he wiped the moisture from Ino's eyes off of his shoulders.

With another sigh, Ino took her leave. She shut the door after her and made her way back to her home. Once inside the confines of her room, she flung herself on the bed and embraced the pillow and bawled into it. The pillow's mass seemed to move to mold with the blonde like the way she wished a certain someone would. Like she did so many times before, Ino imagined the pillow as Sasuke lovingly holding her. She imagined the Uchiha stroking her hair. She pictured Sasuke kissing her forehead. For a moment, she believed Sasuke was telling her that everything was going to be fine. She heard the words "I love you".

She opened her eyes to see no arms around her. That perfect man that she had just been with never muttered those words. He never held her. He never would. But she maintained the thought that she was growing on him. That hope alone kept her arms around the pillow. She sat up and hugged the pillow against her. Her eyes shut as she silently prayed that this time, she had succeeded in giving Sasuke a child. Maybe then he would finally bring himself to love her.


End file.
